“You can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics” Robot Solow (b. 1924), American economist.

As we now know, computers and the internet have sped up the exchange of information. Except for the elderly and those in developing nations, everyone knows how to type on a computer.

This is very true for those born between the 1980s and the 2000s. In fact, most will have learnt this in school. However, there are plenty of people who don’t know exactly where they should put their fingers on a keyboard.

The same couldn’t be said for grandparents who learnt to be typists. How quickly can they type?How can you learn all the different shortcuts on a qwerty keyboard and what are they for?

Whether you’re using Windows or a Mac, the keyboard shortcuts will help you save plenty of time when working on a text document or touching up digital photos.

While there are many who swear by their Macbook Air or Macbook Pro – known for being less susceptible to viruses -, Microsoft’s Windows operating system is still used by over 80% of computers.

Knowing the keyboard shortcuts and how to type more quickly without making errors is key to increasing your productivity when working with computers.

You probably know what the letter and number keys do, but have you ever considered why the keyboard layout includes the Windows key, control key (ctrl), function keys (F1-F12), and the buttons next to the keypad?

These can all be used to control your computer far more effectively and activate certain functions that you didn’t even know your computer keyboard was capable of. You can use the ctrl key and alt key in combination with other keys to perform tasks when the mouse doesn’t work, too!

In this article, Superprof is going to show you a few tips and tricks and how you can become a better and a quicker typist.

Computer Lessons in Mac Keyboard Shortcuts

Here are the keyboard shortcuts for any budding Mac user. In addition to the time you’ll save by learning these shortcuts, they can also be really useful in the event that your mouse, touchpad, or wheel breaks.

You don’t need a mouse, after all, to open a file, system settings, or file browsers, print documents, or save files.

While a lot of the shortcuts are similar, there are a few key differences when it comes to the Mac shortcuts:

Copy and Paste: Press the Cmd (⌘) button and c to copy or the Cmd (⌘) button and v to paste. Cmd (⌘) + x is cut.

Select All: Cmd + A

Find: To save time when looking for a particular word or sentence, you can press Cmd + F and a dialogue box will appear. This is great for finding how many times a given word appears in a text.

Undo or Cancel an Action: Cmd + Z

Save: Cmd + S

Print: You just have to press Cmd + P

Change the colours of iOS to save energy (black screens use less energy than white ones). The command to do this is Ctrl + Alt + Cmd + 8.

Increase the sharpness of an image: Alt + shift + plus or minus

Restart your Macbook Pro: Ctrl + Cmd + Power Button.

Sleep Mode: Ctrl + Shift + Power Button.

Don’t forget that there’s a plethora of keyboard shortcuts and almost every action on a computer can be done with a shortcut. Whenever you right-click, the context menu will show the keyboard shortcuts to the right of the operation. Think about making writing some useful ones down and keeping them in a notepad next to your computer in order to practise.

To work even more effectively, you should learn keyboard shortcuts specific to the different programmes you use regularly. If you work with graphic design software, you can speed up the whole process with keyboard shortcuts rather than having to navigate a variety of different drop-down menus. Why not start with the “File” menu as it’s the most common drop-down used in programmes? Learning these shortcuts will save a lot of time each day.

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Joseph

Joseph is a French and Spanish to English translator, language enthusiast, and blogger.